Kino Cafe - Vancouver

This restaurant in Vancouver is one of the few places that offers live dance entertainment. It is a unique spot with flamenco dancing, music, and comedy. The owner was very friendly and chatted with guests at their tables. They serve tapas, but the menu selection was lacking and the food was unfortunately nothing to write home about. I had higher expectations for the presentation and creativity of the dishes. The entertainment seems to be the main draw, as the food experience falls short.

My favorite live entertainment at night would have to be the flamenco night at this restaurant. It is very exciting to watch and the sangria is also delicious. Each night offers a different type of musician, although I have not seen comedy as others have mentioned. This spot is perfect for a date night, and during the summertime, you can even hear the music from a block away with their open window walls. It is also very affordable. My friend and I have come here a few times for flamenco and we always enjoy the energy. Flamenco nights are held on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but be sure to book a table on the weekends as it tends to get busy!

We made reservations to get a view of the stage from our table. Arriving at 7:30 gave us time to enjoy our food before the flamenco music and dancing began.The food was tapas style with drinks of choice -we had sangria to round out the experience. food was terrific with "Leo's lamb pops with polenta being our favourite.The other dishes were great as well. Our server was friendly and helpful in guiding our food choices. The place itself was perhaps a bit gritty, but in a good way and the boisterous noise of people engaging in animated conversations gave the place a lively authentic alive feeling. As the place filled up the performers came on stage - 2 muscicians with guitars and a kind of electric bongo(really neat) and 2 flamenco dancers. The performances were terrific and they didn't seem to mind if some of the patrons continued their conversations during the performances. Amazingly there was no cover charge and the food and drink prices were normal and great quality. The performers played 3 sets and at the end of each set they said that a basket would come around since there was no cover charge and perhaps the audience could contribute. This was not intimidating and I was happy to donate to show appreciation. I put in 3 modest amounts rather than just 1 largder amount. SWE didn't get out until around 11:15pm. This happens wed. to Sat.. Tuesdays is comedy night and Sunday and Monday is other live music. I loved this place.

The Flamenco performance was amazing, the food was and service was great. No other place like it in Vancouver. I'm definitely going back.

Kino, let's not overstate it, is a bar. They are Hispanic-themed, with live Flamenco music on a regular basis--we were there on a Sunday so the entertainment was the Tony awards on the big screen. Not many people there on that Sunday night, some of them seemingly were regulars who were pretty loud.We were seeking a light supper, and the thought of tapas was tempting. My wife wound up getting a couple of glasses of Keller Estate red wine, I chose their Sangria, made fresh with lots of diced apple, I thought it refreshing. You may get a full range of mixed drinks here--I imagine they do a good tequila business--alas, they had no sherry on the list.The food menu has only one "entree", a smoked salmon. My wife chose their seven-inch salami pizza, and liked it well--for me the crust was too rubbery and the sauce wasn't marinara enough. My Asian pulled-pork tacos, on the other hand, hit my spot perfecrtly. You can order one or several of these full-sized soft tacos, each with a generous portion of the spicy meat topped with a fine slaw and a sriracha crema. Superb!The kitchen seemed a little slow, but our waitress was attentive, and when she found out we were from out of town she was quie generous with advice about other local eateries and attractions that deserved our attention.I think the proper use of this place would be to go there on a weekend night, rub elbowws with the regulars, enjoy the live entertainment, satisfy yourself with this world-cuisine bar food and the libation of your choice.